One of the first big moves that the Buffalo Bills made to kick off their offseason was extending wide receiver Khalil Shakir to a four-year extension worth up to $60.2 million. It was an extremely cheap contract based on his production he has had the past two seasons with Joe Brady as the playcaller.
Since Brady took over as the offensive coordinator in the middle of the 2023 season, Shakir has become an important player in Buffalo’s passing attack. He finished the 2023 season with an 86.7% catch rate and then last season, Shakir has 76% catch rate per Pro Football Reference.
Drafted in the 5th round in 2022, Shakir has worked his way up the depth chart and his hard work has now paid off as he has become one of, if not Josh Allen’s favorite target to throw to. He’s a strong slot receiver who doesn’t drop a lot of passes. He reminds me a little bit of Cole Beasley where if Allen is facing trouble, Shakir can take the pressure off and move the chains.
CBS Sports lists Khalil Shakir extension as Buffalo's best offseason move
Tyler Sullivan from CBS Sports listed the best offseason move for each team in the AFC and Shakir getting his extension from the Bills has a great argument to being the best for Buffalo. However, I personally believe it was giving Josh Allen his new big time six-year, $330 million deal. He’s still not the highest paid quarterback in the league and he got this extension right in the middle of his prime.
As far as Shakir, here’s what Sullivan had to say about his contract extension being the best move by the Bills:
"In an offseason where wide receivers were getting paid hand over fist, the Buffalo Bills quietly secured one of their top options at the position at an astounding price. In February, the club inked Shakir to a four-year, $53 million deal. If we look at this from an average annual salary standpoint, Shakir will make $13.2 million per year over the life of the deal. That's ridiculous value for someone who is blossoming into a pivotal, go-to piece for Josh Allen. "Tyler Sullivan, CBS Sports
Only paying Shakir $13.2 million is absolute amazing value for the Bills. Compared to the rest of the receivers who got paid big time money, Shakir is actually underpaid when you look at his production.
Shakir might very well have some competition this season for targets with the Bills signing Elijah Moore. However, Moore more than likely won’t be lined up in the slot. I can very well see him being outside the numbers to open up the middle of the field for Shakir. Either way, Shakir has a true bright future in Buffalo as long as Josh Allen is playing at an MVP level.